


Last minute arrangements

by Ineededthis



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Hotels, Intimacy, No Smut, Post-Lethal White, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-11-01 22:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20521496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineededthis/pseuds/Ineededthis
Summary: Booking last minute Strike and Robin end up forced to share a room.Fluffy fluff fluff and some more fluff.With big thanks to LulaIsaKitten who encouraged me to post here :3





	Last minute arrangements

It was a bright, quiet night on the small road through Derbyshire and the passing fields looked misty in the moonlight. Robin whose tired eyes were squinting at the dark road ahead, drove the Land Rover in search for they recently booked hotel. They spend the day taking a long road and an even longer interview with a old, rich widow who offered a horribly boring but apparently well paid job. Her slow and tiering manner of speaking wore Robin off and all she could think of right now was the bed that waited somewhere around the corner.  
Or ...almost all she could think of. 

Robin felt her cheeks flush when she remembered. They didn’t plan on staying the night and booking last minute, she only managed to find them one room to share. She was trying to calm herself. After all, nothing was going to happen. But the novelty and, well... Intimacy of the circumstances filled her with fear and excitement. She threw Strike a quick glance.  
He was finishing a cigarette, holding it outside and looking at the disappearing fields. His curls dancing in the cold wind, eyebrows frowned a little, face focused. She wondered what he was thinking about looking so intense but quickly figured it must be work related. He didn’t look as thrown off balance by their sleeping arrangement as she was and it made her feel stupid. 

Strike exhaled the last patch of smoke and sighed. All he could think of was her presence next to him and how he would have to fall asleep hearing the sound of her breathing but not being able to touch her. He cursed himself for dwelling on this. They were professionals and they could do this. It was just a shared room, not a shared bed or anything. Just a bit less space then normal. One wall of a difference, really.  
He shifted in his seat. The leg has been killing him all week and he dreamed of taking the prosthetic off the moment they would enter the room. But then he imagined Robin watching him jump around on one leg like an idiot and it made his stomach drop. He even offered to leave her the room and sleep in the car when they first booked it, but she wouldn’t hear a word of it. Seeing how tired she was and considering all the miles she just drove him through, decided not to bicker. He threw her a sideways glance and smiled involuntarily. 

Robin looked uncharacteristically serious. Both hands on the wheel, gaze focused. He noticed small shadows under her eyes and regretted he couldn’t take over for a while. She needed rest and he was being a useless bastard letting her do all the driving. She didn’t look flustered at the idea of sharing a room with him and it made him feel like an idiot.  
A warm porch light shined on her blonde hair as they stopped in front of an old, narrow building. 

‘That’s us’ she smiled. Realising there was no more delaying this new experience, Strike’s stomach performed a nervous flip. 

The hotel was small, empty and quiet. It was one of those new, low budget facilities where instead of a staff member, you are greeted by a cheaply printed list of instructions and a code to the room door sent by a text. The automatic locks were brutally attached to old, rustic doors making them look weirdly defiled. Strike hated everything about it. 

‘Look, they ruined hotels too’ said Robin, as if reading his mind. She was bending over the laminated notes on the counter. Her hair cascading down from her shoulder, skinny jeans exposing soft curves. ‘...It seems that we’re on the top floor but I don’t see an elevator… Are you going to be ok?’  
‘Of course’ grunted Strike, suddenly very interested in an amateur looking sketch on the wall above her. Forcing what he hoped was a reassuring smile he grabbed his bag and headed towards the stairs.

He was far from “ok” and Robin fought the urge to offer him help as they climbed up in his slow, tired pase. She knew he hated to be fussed over but she also feared that touching him right now would make things awkward. Or, well.  
More so.

‘15! That’s us!’ she whispered hoping to cheer him up. ‘No more climbing for tonight’

Strike nodded but said nothing. The leg felt hellish and he would gladly rest his arm on Robin’s shoulder if it wasn’t for the fear that if he shortens their physical distance now, he won’t be able to go back.  
‘This is all a horrible idea’ he thought watching her put the door code on a tiny console. He tried not to wonder what sort of pajamas he would see her in. ‘God, let’s at least hope that the beds are far from each…Fuck’

In the middle of the room stood a big, double bed. And not much else.

For a second they just froze. Speechless and blushing. Each lost in their own thoughts.  
‘Well, that didn’t go as planned’ Strike broke the silence, his mouth suddenly dry.  
‘The connection was awful when I called them, they must have misheard me’ her voice sounded flat and distant.  
Strike wondered for a second how it must feel to be suddenly sentenced to share a bed with a fat bastard such as himself. ‘You know, I could just…’ he started  
‘No’ Robin cut him off and with a sudden air of decisiveness entered the room. ‘It’s ok. Come on’  
‘You don’t even know what I was going to... ’  
‘Cormoran’ she threw her bag on the bed and glared at him, hand on her hip ‘We are both dead tired. We need a good night sleep. There is clearly no one here we could complain to and for the last time, you are not sleeping in the car’  
Only then he noticed the tiniest blush on her chicks.  
‘I could leave you the bed and sleep on the floor?’ he suggested and almost chuckled at the look of indignation on her face.  
‘So could I!’  
‘Absolutely not’ he frowned.  
‘Well, exactly’ she said shrugging. And with an air of someone who has made their point clear, started taking out her wash bag from the luggage.  
‘Robin, I really don’t want to...’ Strike hesitated. What was he even going to say? Make you uncomfortable? Risk your honour?  
She looked up at him, now getting positively red.  
‘Oh’ she said silently ‘Sorry. If that’s not ok for you I will think of something else’ she added quickly, reaching for her phone. Undoubtedly to look for another hotel.  
‘No! That’s not what I...’ Shit, shit, shit ‘I’m fine with this, Robin. I was just worried that maybe... you are not... Really’ he finished lamely.  
She looked at him for a moment but then her expression softened. A shadow of a smile dancing round her lips.  
‘I’m fine with this’ she said warmly ‘Really.’  
‘Alright then’ muttered Strike and turned around to close the door. He felt awkward and completely out of place. This was bad. This was so so bad.  
Funny how the idea of sharing a room with two separate beds felt so innocent and normal just now. 

The springs made a loud squeaky noise as Strike sat down on the cheap, beige cover. Before he could stop himself, he sighed with relief as the pain in his leg eased a little. She was right. He didn’t wish to go down those stairs again and sort anything else out. He closed his eyes and and didn’t see the warm expression on Robin’s face at this display of comfort.  
He also missed the small movement of her hand as she passed him on the way to the bathroom. A small reflex to stroke his cheek, which she caught herself on and retracted midway before disappearing behind the thin white door. 

‘What the hell was that?’ thought Robin blushing at her panicked reflection ‘He. Is. Not. Your. Boyfriend’ she rebuked herself and searched for a toothbrush with shaky hands. This was idiotic. No, she was being an idiot. Yes, they got a room together… and a bed together… but they were professionals. They could do this. That’s what she decided when refused his alternatives. She knew perfectly well that nothing was going to happen. He didn’t look at her this way! Or well. She didn’t think he did.  
She remembered the shy, vulnerable expression on his face just a minute ago and blushed even more. What if he did feel...  
‘I could lose my job’ she reminded herself. ‘I can’t just touch his face like that!!’ She was tired. That’s it. It was a reflex. Muscle memory. A man she feels close to sits on a bed their share. Nothing she was unfamiliar with. ‘Just this time it’s Strike’ she added and felt a mad urge to giggle ’Stop being excited!’

Getting naked knowing that he was just behind a rather symbolic, thin bathroom door made Robin uncharacteristically clumsy.  
Lying on the bed knowing that she was just behind a rather fragile bathroom door, probably naked, made Strike uncharacteristically restless.

He lied down staring at the sealing. Longing for the sweet release from the prosthetic but thinking better of it. Maybe he could turn the lights off when she was back from the bathroom and retain some dignity once he takes the leg off?  
‘Bet she looks fantastic with her hair wet… ‘ he thought before he could stop himself and felt a sudden urge to smoke. God, he was freaking out like a bloody teenager. Nothing was going to happen.

He got up and came to the bathroom door raising his arm for the smallest knock.  
‘Robin do you mind if I smoke at the room win..’ The door opened and Robin, her face half covered in a towel, walked right at him.  
‘Oh’ she gasped with an immediate blush. ‘Sorry!’ She took a quick step back on the floor towel and slipped. Strike instinctively grabbed her by the waist and pulled back towards him. She landed in his arms, clutching for support.  
‘Careful’ he muttered leading Robin out of the bathroom. The soft, steaming body pressed against him. Air filled with her rosy scent. He noticed she didn’t rush to move away from him and felt a weird flutter in his chest.  
‘You alright?’ the proximity of her made him almost whisper.  
‘Y-yeah’ she looked up. Cheeks flushed, her pupils giant in the evening light. The moment she started to move back he took his hands off her. ‘Thanks’ she smiled sheepishly, putting a lock of hair behind her ear ‘These tiles are very slippery, I actually left a towel on the floor so you.. so it’s a bit safer for you’  
‘Right. Thanks a lot’ he smiled, quite touched, though sorry to let go off her. Robin’s oversize t shirt was sticking to the after shower body making it very hard to keep his eyes away. ‘Do you mind if I smoke in the bathroom then?’  
‘No, of course not’ she smiled.

The moment he closed the door Robin fell on the bed. Face in her hands, half chuckling half cursing she tried to compose herself and get a normal pulse. She could still smell him though and felt a tingling sensation on the spot of her nose that touched his neck. 

After a quick smoke, a pleasant but distracting shower in a bathroom that still smelled of Robin’s shampoo, Strike was back. He found her in bed. Lying on her belly, reading some of the notes their made last couples of days. The cascade of her golden hair covered the part of her face closest to him. She didn’t turn off the lights but somehow he knew just by that look of her that she was trying to give him some privacy. Her manner was a kind of a promise that she wouldn’t stare and he felt a sudden wave of gratitude. He sat down on his side of the bed and noticed that the ointment for his leg which he accidentally left at the office was now standing at his betable next to a glass of water.  
This woman was a bloody angel.  
‘We didn’t ask mrs Fowler about the medicine box’ she murmured turning a page and making a note ‘I know it’s not a lead or anything, but it feels a bit fishy...’  
‘Yeah, I know what you mean. We’ll call her tomorrow’ he answered warmly, his guard sliding off. The ointment felt so good on his fatigued skin. 

Something in his voice made Robin look up from her notes. She saw his wide back and big arms, just minutes earlier holding her waist, now taking care of his leg. She was glad he noticed the medicine. And thankful for this rare opportunity to glare at his bare biceps. She didn’t notice before but this room was really hot.

‘Thanks a lot for bringing the meds’ he said getting under the cover and looking a her.  
She smiled, a little flushed on the chicks.  
The bed felt suddenly small. She could feel the heat of his wide frame and the husky smell of his freshly washed skin. There was something very right and very dangerous about having him so close.  
‘It’s no trouble’ she looked at him fondly ‘Goodnight, Cormoran.’  
‘Goodnight, Robin’

He turned his head away to reach the night light when she moved towards him and kissed his chick. Just a little harmless peck, like they did as goodbyes or heloes during parties. It felt appropriate, really. Their first shared room and all. She didn’t really think about it. It just… happened.  
Strike looked at her and for a second she forgot she was supposed to get back to her side of the bed. His eyes were dark and and full of… was this longing? Or was it a question? She should really move away from him by now. But his lips were not entirely closed and she didn’t get to see them from up close before...

She didn’t know who reached first. It didn’t matter. The smell of his breath filled her nostrils, the touch of his lips, softer than she imagined… more tender than she imagined… seemed to fill all of her senses. She opened her mouth and he followed willingly, deepening the kiss.  
She put her palm on his chick, the way she meant to do earlier, and it felt so right. The rough stubble on his skin, the strong jaw line. He placed both his big, warm hands on the sides of her face, pulling it closer. Almost desperate. Robin heard herself let out a small moan and it felt embarrassing but he just growled in response and kissed her harder, sending a shiver down her spine.  
It didn’t even feel like a first kiss. It felt like the first kiss after a long time apart. Like a reunion with someone you kissed a million times before and hope to kiss a million more. There was longing in it. Tenderness. Hunger. 

She felt her cheeks burning, her insides squished in excitement, her skin hypersensitive to his every touch. 

Strike wished to press her closer. To close her in his arms and just stay like this. Nothing in his life ever felt more right. Her full, soft lips pressed on his, her tongue searching for him and God, the sounds she was making. He would eat her alive if he didn’t want her whole so bloody much. But he also wanted to cherish this. Cherish her. He was holding back not to scare her off and mess this up. 

He gently moved her head away for a moment to catch breath and look at her. For a split second Robin looked slightly disappointed at this interruption and he almost laughed. She blushed.  
‘Just making sure I’m not too...’ he started.  
‘You’re not’ she said, a little shy now. Cormoran reached for her hand and kissed its palm, gazing into her eyes. The looks of helplessness on her face before she dragged him into a kiss was unforgettable.

He really wasn’t “too’ anything, she thought pressing on him. Slightly too gentle, maybe? But it somehow made her feel... special…Like… she didn’t want to move away but if she did, she just knew he wouldn’t say a word. Oh, his hand rubbing her back just an inch above the arse was a torture… She lightly bit his lower lip and heard him growl.  
‘Minx’ he whispered. His eyes almost black now.  
‘Speak for yourself’ she retorted cheekily. 

The next thing she knew he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed, making her heart race. Her thighs found the sides of him, hands buried in his soft curls as they kissed. He towered over her, wide and hairy, and nothing like what she knew before. And she loved every breath of it. Every inch of him. He sucked her lower lip and she moaned crossing her legs behind him. Their breaths getting faster now, she felt how hard he was and couldn’t stop from feeling just a little proud.  
‘I did this... ’ she thought as she rubbed against him. She opened her eyes but the intensity of his gaze suddenly threw her off balance.  
This was Cormoran, she thought suddenly. Her partner, her friend, her boss. 

Her body tensed just for a split second, but he sensed it right away.  
‘Shit’ he thought moving away. ‘Sorry’ he muttered ‘I didn’t mean to ...embarrass you’ And myself, he added in his head. ‘You ok?’  
‘Oh no, no, you didn’t’ she said quickly ‘I mean yes, I’m ok. And no, you didn’t embarrass me. It’s just…’  
‘I’m so sorry Robin, I was trying to have a hold of myself’ he said sitting up and covering himself with the sheet. ‘You are just...’ he shook his head helplessly.  
The feeling of pride was back and she tried not to smile. Did she make him lose control? Desperate not to let distance fall back between them she sat up as well and faced him. Hand on his hand.  
‘I didn’t mean to push you to do anything you are not up for’ he said seriously, his eyes fixed on her. ‘I need you to know this’  
‘I know. I really do’ she smiled squeezing his hand ‘Cormoran, you didn’t embarrass or push me and I never felt safer’ she placed his big palm against her cheek and felt his thumb rub a little circle in response. She could tell these words meant a lot to him.  
‘I am in no rush’ he said. The light of the lonely bedside lamp flickered in his eyes.  
Robin smiled.  
‘Sooo I take it it’s not just a one-time-trip-thing for you then’  
‘God, no’ he blurt out without thinking and cursed himself for it. ‘I mean…‘ he cleared his voice and looked at her ‘That depends on what you want it to be’ 

The way her face lit up with relief as she reached to kiss him was more than enough for an answer. They hugged and made out that night. With passion, longing and relief. None of them tried to push things forward. They knew they had all the time in the world. 

Now that they took that leap it didn’t feel scary at all. It almost looked comedic. The anxiety, the wait. How could they not have guessed before? How could they have misread each other so bad? But there was plenty of time to wonder about that another day.  
That night they fell asleep in each other’s arms. And for once everything felt in place.

**Author's Note:**

> I somehow felt the need to imagine them get together rather sweetly :3  
I know ideas like this have been appearing here before but I wanted to have my take on it.
> 
> Cheers


End file.
